Email:smccauley@mondotunes.comWebsite:http://www.mondotunes.com/The producer and composer of digital music known as Kio has released his latest EP record, “A Temporary State of Euphoria.” The record comprises six original songs and an intro for an approximate total listening time of 40 minutes, making for a comprehensive Kio experience with a size comparable to that of a full-length album. It has been released on the Pushbang record label. Widely varied, expertly executed and optimally engineered for dance floors everywhere, “A Temporary State of Euphoria” is proof that Kio is a digital musician to watch in the coming months.

Kio (often stylized KIO) cites as main artistic influences Skrillex, Deadmau5, Afrojack, Shockone, Chemical Brothers, and Daft Punk, but also pays homage to the music he grew up loving, such as that of Tool and Rage Against the Machine. This latter side of his listening taste makes frequent appearances in his compositions on “A Temporary State of Euphoria,” as it forms the foundational history of his musical development.

“I started out playing the guitar briefly, before joining my first rock band in primary school playing the drums,” writes the artist from Sydney, Australia. “Soon after high School I was playing in many rock outfits before discovering dance music and trading my drum set for a set of decks.”

Asked to describe the themes and motifs of his new record, Kio writes that “A Temporary State of Euphoria” is about, “Real vs Artificial feelings and emotions.” He goes on to state, “For example: the feeling you get from an act of kindness vs the similar feeling you can get from just popping a pill.”

“[The album isn't] 'for' or 'against' any of the above,” he explains, “but as the EP title and artwork suggest, it's about working out the difference between these different mediums, and their lasting effects, whether long term or only temporary.”

While critics of electronica sometimes opine that modern dance, house, or club music can seem too similar to other works belonging to the genre, Kio speaks to this directly.

“The songs [on 'A Temporary State of Euphoria'] are unique in the sense that they are not just mainstream short shelf-life DJ tracks that are being spewed out by the thousands at the moment. Each track is a journey, constructed meticulously, with no exception to time taken, wholesome and epic songs that tell a story. The EP is a perfect blend of the 'rock track' and the 'big floor dance tune.'
You can sit down, listen and really get into the layers and intricacies of the song, or just let go and dance away without thought!”